Yep, we couldn't resist it. After staying on Ko Hai as part of our dive trip from Lanta, we returned to its romantic shores for sun, sea and ............ snorkelling.... (after all, we have been together for 8 years!)

Ko Hai is the dog's bollox when it comes to stunning tropical islands. Perfection in bucketloads. I won't bang on too much - you'll see from the photos (when we post them). We stayed on a "luxury" resort (too many bamboo huts had left us wanting a bug-free bed, and loo roll in the bathroom). Luxury in Thailand comes at the bargain price of less than a tenner a night, so we were most happy.

Took a trek into the island's jungle interior and got completely lost - ending up on a totally different beach from where we were supposed to be heading. On the way we saw several 2-metre long lizards and a huge tarantula-like spider devouring an equally huge bug in its 12 inch wide web. My ears are still ringing from the deafening alarm-bell loud crickets.

A longtail tour of surrounding islands to snorkel, broke up the beach lazing "monontony." The first stop was to the "Emerald Cave" on Ko Muk. This involved a 50 metre swim through a pitch-black cave, following our longtail boatman and his torch. Scared? Shitting myself more like! Still, emerging at the end in "The Emerald Cave" made it more than worth the terror. It is a small beach surrounded completely on all sides by huge cliff faces - the only access through the cave we'd just swam. Backed by a mini tropical forest, and with dripping trees, ferns and moss growing up the cliff sides - it felt like a film set for Jurassic Park.

Realised we couldn't stay on Ko Hai forever - money rapidly running out and beer much too expensive - so we tore ourselves away and began the slow journey back up north to Bangkok.....